Local residents have formed the Kiama Depot Action Group in response to the rezoning proposal for the Shoalhaven Street Precinct which could result in an eight-storey development.

More than 750 locals signed an online petition and around 60 residents have formed an Action Group to continue the battle against the possibility of 450 homes being built on the two-hectare block opposite Kiama Bowls Club.

Kiama Council and the NSW Government have repeatedly said that at this stage it is just a rezoning proposal but residents are concerned about a specific R3 rezoning and detailed plans for what is referred to as the “optimum builtform” for the site.

The Kiama Matters Inc community group is also concerned about this development and the plans for multi-storey buildings in Akuna Street and invited Kiama MP Katelin McInerney and local councillors to their meeting last week.

McInerney and Councillors Yasmin Tatrai, Stuart Larkins and Imogen Draisma attended, conducting a Q&A session with the group.

KDAG organisers John and Jane Littrich are among the many residents whose homes will be affected if the Shoalhaven Street Precinct is constructed as a six- or eight-storey building.

This would mean their home and north-facing backyard would only limited winter sunlight if a 28-metre tower was placed as close as four metres from their boundary.

Their neighbour Stella Goodman earlier this year started extensions to the rear of her family home but if the development goes ahead, she and her young family will have also layers of apartments directly over their back fence.

John said the campaign against this development would continue even though the brief timeframe for submissions to the NSW Planning Department ended on Wednesday.

“People can still let Kiama Council know how they feel about this as well. And emailing councillors individually would be great. The Councillors are saying that they will still have some sort of say in what's finally built.

“I don’t believe that will be the case. I think the state government will have control. But if that's what Council thinks, then we need to tell them what we think.

“We're also concerned that Council has a financial investment in this.

“This certainly raises a question as to whether they are going to reduce their financial return on this to take into account community interests.”

Jane added: “This is the thin edge of the wedge. People can see that if this could happen here, then it could happen elsewhere in Kiama.

“The scale and the density of the development is so out of keeping with not only the local neighbourhood, but Kiama in general.

“It is so out of keeping with the charm, the character of the town, which is a big thing - cultural heritage and how important that is. The site and surrounding

neighbourhood are part of the Smiths Farm Heritage Conservation Area.

“Also important is the impact on infrastructure and the lack of services. There will be a severe impact on the immediately surrounding residents with overshadowing, noise, traffic, privacy issues, etc. But I think it has wider implications in terms of impact of character, infrastructure, environment, sewage and flooding.

“There are numerous elderly residents near the site who are very distressed.

Many have been unable to find, let alone absorb the 450-plus pages of documents on the Department of Planning website so we have been able to help unpack this information for them to help with drafting submissions.”

For Stella, if this development goes ahead at the 6-8 storey level, she said the impact would be “devastating”.

“We have made a major life and financial decision to extend and also restore our house that is historical. It's built in the 1800s. So we're doing our bit to preserve the house in keeping with the neighbourhood and heritage requirements and also to extend the house so that it suits our young family into the future,” she said.

“We've started the renovation and restoration and extension and then now to have this bomb dropped on us. If we had have known that this was going to be the type of proposal that it is, it would have definitely changed our plans.

“We moved to Kiama eight years ago because we wanted to live in a small village and it's just absolutely heartbreaking and distressing the effects that it will have on us and our young family. Extending from psychological to financial to quality of life. It's distressing.”

John reiterated that KDAG was not opposed to development but they wanted to ensure the Precinct did not turn Kiama into a mini version of Wollongong which has become awash with high-rise developments.

“Such development should be in line with the existing character of the area, not dense development of the scale proposed.

“It will negatively impact on surrounding homes and will not create a positive environment for anyone living in the development itself. It does not fit in Council’s own Town Centre Plan or Local Housing Strategy.”

Even though the deadline for submissions expired on Wednesday, residents can still email feedback to [email protected] although their comments will not be counted as a formal submission in the finalisation report.

Kiama Matters chair Janet Peters said the group’s goal was to get people engaged in the process and for them to give their opinions.

Peters said Kiama Matters submitted its thoughts to the NSW Planning Department before Wednesday’s deadline for feedback, “based on what our members are concerned about”.

“It’s disappointing the timeframe for public comment was so short. We think the rezoning proposal is actually a bit of a missed opportunity,” she said.

“What they’re proposing with height limits and density really is an overdevelopment of the site, which is a shame.

“I think if you ask anyone in Kiama, they’re not opposed to development but the size has just gone over the top and is proposing something that is not the optimal use of that site.

“It’s a low to mid-level site, not 6-8 storeys. It doesn’t fit with the character of the town.

“The community made it pretty clear that they don’t want anything more than three storeys in the outer town and no more than six storeys in the town centre.

“We went through all that in good faith so it’s very disappointing to have this land on us now. They do want more housing and a revitalised town centre but for the government to come in this way is acting in bad faith.”

Peters was re-elected as Kiama Matters chair at the meeting with Ian Robertson voted in as vice-chair, David Stevenson as treasurer, Sandy Stevenson as public officer, with Lenore Pennington, Julie MacKenzie, Graham Spooner and Carol Goddard also on the committee.

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